Southern Style Oxtails

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This super simple oxtail recipe is great on a night in! Seasoned and braised oxtails simmered in a silky onion and garlic brown gravy.

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I love love love oxtails. They are definitely something I eat as a treat and something I get excited about making. I like to make or have oxtails one of two ways, southern style or Caribbean. The two are slightly similar but the flavor varies immensely. For Jamaican oxtails, you use scotch bonnets, green onions, browning, and spices like nutmeg and allspice. For southern-style, it’s a lot tamer. I make mine with a hearty onion brown gravy. That is heavy on the sauteed onions and simply spiced with thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper. It’s my favorite savory brown gravy. Check out my tips and tricks below for the best southern-style oxtails. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think.

TIPS& TRICKS FOR THE BEST SOUTHERN-STYLE OXTAILS:

flour: this one is pretty important in the long run. oxtails have a ton of fat. even if your oxtails don’t look fatty. come braising time they will be. that’s why catching and working with the fat early is so important. starting the braise with oxtails coating in flour not only gives them a nicer color but also starts thickening some fat.

onions x2: onions and southern gravy go hand in hand. to me, the more onions the better. i love onion gravy because it’s a quick and easy way to add a lot of flavor without overwhelming the dish. when you add onions into a gravy that really has time to stew, they break down so much becoming part of the broth adding a ton of richness and depth. the larger the cuts the more they tend to stick out. if you want an onion-rich silky gravy thinly shave the onions. for a chunky gravy, large chunks will work. or do like I do, half thin- half large.

season well: seasoning in layers is key. you never want to be lacking salt that needed to be added well into the beginning. so get in the habit of seasoning with every add-in. that doesn’t mean dump a handful in at every turn. i just mean to account for the small additions here and there and season accordingly. a dash here and there can really go a long way before the final taste test at the end.

browning: browning seasoning is a must. i keep it on hand for all stews i make. it’s absolutely a pantry staple. browning sauce from a bottle is vegetables, spices, and herbs in a brown slurry that adds deep dark color to your stews. don’t let it be confused with Caribbean browning which Is burnt brown sugar.

cornstarch: a cornstarch slurry at the end will help all the fat tighten up. and give you a velvety mouthfeel.  add as little or as much as you like. make sure to use cold water to blend the cornstarch to make the paste.

SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:

  1. BRAISED BEEF + PARMESAN ORECCHIETTE PASTA
  2. COFFEE BRAISED RIBS W/ PEPPERCORN GRITS
  3. GARLIC BEEF TIPS & ONIONS

ENJOY THIS RECIPE WITH:

  1. CREAMY ASIAGO KALE
  2. GINGER AND GARLIC FRIED PLANTAINS
  3. SMOKED CHICKEN + GRAVY

Southern Style Oxtails

Southern Style Oxtails
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INGREDIENTS

  • 3.5lb Oxtails
  • 1 Carrot, small diced
  • 2-3 Yellow Onions, sliced
  • 10 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1 Celery Stalk, minced
  • 1 Habanero Pepper
  • 4c Vegetable Stock
  • 1Tb Beef Base Powder
  • 2Tb Browning
  • 4Tb Flour
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Cayenne
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2Tb Browning
  • 1Tb Thyme
  • 1tsp Rosemary
  • 2Tb Oil+ 2Tb Butter
  • 2Tb Cornstarch+2TB Cold Water

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Start off by seasoning the oxtails generously with salt and pepper.
  • Coat the oxtails in flour.
  • Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the butter and oil to the pan. Cooking in batches, Sear the oxtails on both sides for 3-4 minutes till the oxtails have darkened.
  • Remove the oxtails. Drain off some of the fat if there is excess. Add in onions, celery, carrots.
  • Sauté the vegetables till they have some color and darken.
  • Add in the remainder of the flour, beef, base and season with salt and pepper.
  • Add In garlic, vegetable stock, thyme, bay leaf and rosemary.
  • Stir until the flour has dispersed into the stock.
  • Return the oxtails to the pan along with the browning and habanero pepper.
  • Bring to a boil, stir and cover for 2-3 hours till the oxtails are fork tender.
  • Towards the end add in the cornstarch slurry. Then adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  • Remove the habanero at the end. Serve over steamed rice.
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